The 1959–60 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team is the only basketball team to win a national title in Ohio State history. They were coached by Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor and had three future Hall of Famers on their roster—centerJerry Lucas, forwardJohn Havlicek, and reserve forward Bob Knight, who entered the Hall for his storied coaching career, most notably at Indiana.

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Coach Fred Taylor started two sophomores at the beginning of the season, Lucas and Mel Nowell, with returnees Joe Roberts, Larry Siegfried and Dick Furry. An injury to Furry got Havlicek inserted into that first game, and he started thereafter.
In this era, freshman could not play varsity college basketball. The recruiting class of Lucas, Nowell, Havlicek, Knight and Gary Gearhart were not eligible to led the Buckeyes until 1959-60. This was their first college season of play as the game is considered today.
The 1959-60 team posted the best shooting, highest scoring team in college basketball that season at over 90 points per game. The key to the attack was the rebounding and outlet passing of Lucas. The other four athletes routinely overwhelmed opponents with fast break baskets. In 1960, this kind of offensive play was then the cutting edge of the game, and a big reason while all five starters were later drafted into the NBA. There were only eight NBA teams at this time, so this was not an easy feat.
Lucas shot a then-record 63% from the floor that season in an era when some college starters commonly shot 35% from the floor. More than just a great rebounder, he also had a great shooting eye from as far out as 25' ( there was no three-point line then ), and also had a hook shot that was nearly automatic. While the statistic was not well-kept then, Lucas probably led this team in assists, at 5-6 per game, he was an outstanding passer as well. He came very close to leading the country in both individual scoring and rebounding as well as shooting.
After the outstanding Lucas, the Bucks may have had the best backcourt in the country in Siegfried and Nowell. Siegfried was then rated very highly as an all-around guard at both ends of the court. With Havlicek looking to contribute to the great offensive team with his hustling defense, Siegfried became active this season in this area as well and was outstanding. Nowell had one-on-one playground skills that were well-developed and effective immediately that season.
With three sophomores now starting, Ohio State did have two early-season losses to Utah and Kentucky, but then clicked through the rest of the schedule. A late-season loss to Indiana came after they had clinched the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes steamrolled through the NCAA tournament by an average of 19.5 points a game, dusting off California 75-55 in the final behind two future NBA stars, Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek, two excellent guards in Larry Siegfried and Mel Nowell and a defensive work ethic that limited opponents to .388 shooting over the course of the season. While the offensive star power of the team is very noteworthy, it's important to say that the team was also very well-coached. After Hall Of Famer Taylor, Graf had coached at Harvard and was very strong on defense. Truitt later led as a college coach at several NCAA schools.

In that game, the Buckeyes shooting was off the charts, but it was also defense that won them the championship. Lucas gave Darrall Imhoff room only when he was far away from the basket; in close, he was always between Imhoff and the ball. Still, very few in the noisy capacity audience at the Cow Palace -most of them, to be sure, California partisans- were ready to concede defeat to the Big Ten champions. Often enough in the past, California had come from behind to win on the wings of its mistake-inducing press. Pete Newell brought his team back into play in the second half, with a crushing defense and within five minutes, Cal scored 10 points to Ohio State's 5. Ironically, though, it was this fanatical defense that eventually proved to be Cal's undoing. Covering on the Ohio State man with the ball, the Bears were obliged to uncover a free man somewhere else. After a short period of fumbling, Ohio State began to find him, Two or three furiously quick breaks with more than five minutes to go destroyed California for good. When the flurry was over, Ohio State's shooting percentage was a remarkable 67.4 percent, and its victory margin was the largest in the 22-year history of the NCAA finals.

1.
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
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The Ohio State mens basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference, the Buckeyes won their only National Championship in 1960 and have made a total of 27 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Buckeyes share a rivalry with the Michigan Wolverines, in which OSU has an 93–71 series lead. The Ohio State University is one of two teams to make an NCAA tournament appearance every decade since the 1930s. The Buckeyes play their games at Value City Arena in The Jerome Schottenstein Center which opened in 1998. The official capacity of the center is 19,200, Ohio State ranks 18th in the nation in average home attendance. Thad Matta was named the coach of Ohio State in 2004 to replace coach Jim OBrien after being involved in supposed NCAA violations which cost Ohio State over 113 wins between 1998 and 2002. The first basketball team at The Ohio State University was formed in 1898, sparing success followed the Buckeyes throughout their time as an independent school. In the year 1912, some thirteen years after forming their first basketball team, the Buckeyes joined the Big Nine Conference, the Olsen era is also highlighted by appearing in the final game for the first ever NCAA Championship Tournament in 1939 where the Buckeyes lost to Oregon 33–46. The Buckeyes would make three more Final Four appearances under Olsen, along with winning five Big Ten championships, following Harold Olsen as head coach Tippy Dye and Floyd Stahl made their stints with the Buckeyes. While not seeing the amount of success as Olsen did, Dye. Of all other Buckeye coaches, it was Fred Taylor who would give Ohio State basketball its greatest claim to fame, with the hiring of Taylor in 1958, not much was expected following an 11–11 season during the 1958–1959 season. However, in 1960, the second coach, Taylor. The 1960 championship season is the only NCAA Tournament championship that the Buckeyes have compiled since that date, Taylors Buckeyes continued their dominance by being the runner-up the following two seasons, and making a total of five tournament appearances during Taylors 18 seasons tenure. With the departure of his team, Taylor began to see teams accustomed to Ohio State basketball of the past. Taylors last season at Ohio State in 1976 saw the Buckeyes going 6–20, Taylor also achieved seven conference titles and an impressive overall winning percentage of over 65%. Past the Taylor era, Ohio State saw Eldon Miller, Gary Williams, between 1976 and 1997 the Buckeyes made the NCAA Bracket only eight times, while being crowned conference champions only twice. In 1997, Jim OBrien was hired to head coach Randy Ayers

2.
California Golden Bears
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The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Over the course of the history, California has won team national titles in 13 mens and 3 womens sports and 104 team titles overall. Cal athletes have competed in the Olympics for a host of different countries. Notable facilities used by the Bears include California Memorial Stadium and Haas Pavilion, Cal finished the 2010–11 athletic season with 1,219.50 points, earning third place in the Directors Cup standings, the Golden Bears highest finish ever. Cal did not receive any points for its national championships in rugby, Cal finished 12th in the 2014-15 standings. In 2014, Cal instituted a strict standard for an athletes admission to the university. Cal Berkeley sponsors varsity teams in 14 mens and 16 womens sports, Notes As of December 4,2016, the program has also produced numerous NFL stars, including Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Longwell, Marshawn Lynch, DeSean Jackson, Desmond Bishop, and Jahvid Best. Tony Gonzalez, the NFLs all-time receptions leader among tight ends, head coach Justin Wilcox began his tenure in 2017. The California mens basketball team has represented the University of California intercollegiately since 1907, Cal basketballs home court is Haas Pavilion, which was constructed atop of the old Harmon Gymnasium using money donated in the late 1990s in part by the owners of Levi-Strauss. The program has seen throughout the years culminating in a national championship in 1959 under legendary coach Pete Newell and have reached the final four two other times in 1946 and 1960. The 1926–27 team finished the season with a 17–0 record and was named the national champion by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. The current head coach of the California mens basketball program is Cuonzo Martin, some notable NBA players that spent time playing in Berkeley include Jason Kidd, Kevin Johnson, and Darrall Imhoff. The Cal baseball team plays at Evans Diamond, located between Haas Pavilion, the Recreational Sports Facility, and Edwards Track Stadium. Cal has appeared in the post-season a total of nine times, including five times in the College World Series, shortstop Geoff Blum of Cals 1992 College World Series team hit the game-winning home run in the 14th inning of a 2005 World Series game for the Chicago White Sox. In September 2010, the university announced that baseball would be one of five sports cut as a cost-cutting measure, however, in April 2011, after receiving more than $9 million in pledges from supporters of the program, the program was reinstated. Mens bowling was an intercollegiate sport at the University of California in the 1970s and won a national championship in 1979. The first significant coach in Cal mens crew was Carroll Ky Ebright, during his tenure, Cal crew became known for success on both the collegiate and the international levels. Cal would represent the United States at two other Olympic games and winning the gold each time, the 1932 and 1948 Summer Games

3.
Frank Truitt
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Frank Wilson Truitt, Jr. was a multi-sport collegiate coach and a veteran of World War II. Truitts battalion arrived in France on 25 December 1944 and saw action during the Battle of the Bulge while stationed in Luxembourg, the 282nd Engineers built pontoon bridges, Bailey bridges, and rafts essential for rapidly moving large numbers of infantry and tanks over the numerous water obstacles. Truitt enrolled at Otterbein University in 1946 after serving overseas in the United States Army for 32 months, while in college, Truitt helped found the Otterbein golf team, in addition to playing three years of varsity basketball. He married fellow student Katharine Ellen Kay Turner on 16 June 1948 before graduating with Bachelor of Science and he majored in both History and Government. From 1951 to 1954, Truitt taught History, Government, and French and was the basketball coach at Bloomingburg High School in Fayette County. His team won the county title and the county tournament in both 1953 and 1954. Truitt next taught and coached at Mount Gilead High School in Mount Gilead, in 1958, Truitts 24-0 North High Polar Bears advanced to the Division AA state semifinals, where they encountered Paul Walkers 24-0 Middletown Middies. A close contest the entire way, North trailed Middletown 48-43 as the game entered the quarter in St. John Arena. North seized a 59-54 lead with just over a minute to play before Middletown made a comeback to take a 62-61 lead with ten seconds left. Norths Eddie Clark drove past Jerry Lucas in the final seconds to score the game-winning layup. It was an upset of historic proportions, in fact, some still consider Norths victory over Middletown as the biggest upset in Ohio high school basketball history. The Polar Bears ultimately lost to East Tech in the championship game in the second and final overtime. North had been ahead 48-46 with six remaining in regulation before Jim Stone hit a 35-footer for East Tech to send the game to overtime. Neither team scored in the first overtime, by the rules of the day, the second overtime was played as sudden-death. North captured the first possession in the second overtime but turned the ball over, the sudden-death format of the second overtime was retired following this game. Following the 1957-58 season with the Polar Bears, Truitt was, at least for the moment, but Floyd Stahl retired as Ohio State Universitys head basketball coach, prompting then-assistant Fred Taylor to assume the head coaching position at Ohio State. Taylors promotion to head coach left the freshman coachs position vacant, ultimately, Truitt had hoped to join the staff at Ohio State and conditionally accepted the Otterbein position. Said Truitt at the time, I accepted the Otterbein position contingent on being released if the job at Ohio State opened up, it was actually written in the contract so there was no misunderstanding

4.
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
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The Minnesota Golden Gophers mens basketball team represents the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905, the Gophers had great success in the early years of basketball, but have been largely overshadowed by other programs since the end of World War I. In total, the Gophers have won nine Big Ten championships, college basketball research organizations have retroactively awarded Minnesota national championships in 1902,1903, and 1919. The team has also had several instances of NCAA sanctions on the program that have affected performance and recruiting. In the 1970s, the Gophers were in a violent brawl with the Ohio State Buckeyes and were barred from post-season appearances for two seasons after an incident involving the illegal resale of tickets. Still more severe was the academic scandal under then-coach Clem Haskins that resulted in the forfeit of a Final Four appearance. Initially, the Gophers team formed without any organized coach, L. J. Cooke took over the team in 1897. Cooke was put on the University payroll on a basis in early 1897 and full-time by the fall. Cooke remained the coach of the Gophers for 28 seasons, Dave MacMillan, who coached the team from 1927 to 1942 and 1945 to 1948, had the second longest tenure as coach at 18 seasons. The Gophers have had several NBA coaches grace the sidelines, John Kundla took over as Gophers head coach after the Minneapolis Lakers departed for Los Angeles. Bill Fitch and Bill Musselman both coached the team for a couple seasons before departing for the NBA and ABA respectively, the program has had a fair degree of stability with their coaching staff. Tubby Smith became the 16th head coach in Gopher basketball history when hired in 2007, Five coaches led the team for more than 10 seasons, Cooke, McMillan, O. B. Cowles, Jim Dutcher, and Clem Haskins, on March 25,2013, Tubby Smith was fired after failing to reach the Sweet Sixteen again. The Gophers hired Richard Pitino on April 3,2013, the Golden Gophers have had many successful players come through the program throughout its history. In the early years of basketball, when the Gophers had success, george Tuck was a dominant center, and the first All-America for the Gophers in 1905. Frank Lawler was another star, he led the Big Ten in scoring in 1911 and was also named to the All-America team. In 1950, Lawler was named the greatest player in Gopher basketball history, Hall of Fame coach John Kundla was also a Gophers star and helped lead the team to its 1937 Big Ten Championship. With the decline of the stature of the Gophers program, fewer elite players have joined the team, the diminished reputation has not, however, prevented some superior athletes from coming to the Minneapolis campus

5.
Center (basketball)
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The center, also known as the five or the big man, is one of the five positions in a regular basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a deal of strength. The tallest player to ever be drafted in the NBA was the 78 Yasutaka Okayama from Japan, the tallest players to ever play in the NBA, at 77, are centers Gheorghe Mureșan and Manute Bol. Standing at 72, Margo Dydek is the tallest player to have played in the WNBA. The center is considered a component for a successful team. But recently, the NBA has turned into a point guard league, great centers have been the foundation for most of the dynasties in both the NBA and NCAA. In the 1960s, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain further transformed basketball by combining height with a level of athleticism than previous centers. Following the retirement of George Mikan, the rivalry of the two big men came to dominate the NBA, many of the records set by these two players have endured today. Most notably, Chamberlain and Russell hold the top eighteen season averages for rebounds, Bill Russell led the University of San Francisco to two consecutive NCAA Championships. He joined the Boston Celtics and helped make them one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history, Russell revolutionized defensive strategy with his shot-blocking, rebounding and physical man-to-man defense. His principal rival, Wilt Chamberlain, listed at 71,275 pounds, Chamberlain played college ball for the Kansas Jayhawks, leading them to the 1957 title game against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Although the Jayhawks lost by one point in overtime, Chamberlain was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player. He also won seven scoring titles, eleven rebounding titles, and four regular season Most Valuable Player awards, including the distinction, in 1960, stronger than any player of his era, he was usually capable of scoring and rebounding at will. Most notably, Chamberlain is the player in NBA history to average more than 50 points in a season. He also holds the NBAs all-time records for rebounding average, rebounds in a single game, in contrast to the Celtics dynasty of the 1960s, the 1970s were a decade of parity in the NBA, with eight different champions and no back-to-back winners. At the college level, the UCLA Bruins, under Coach John Wooden, built the greatest dynasty in NCAA basketball history, UCLA had already won two consecutive titles in 1964 and 1965 with teams that pressed and emphasized guard play. After not winning in 1966, Woodens teams changed their style when Lew Alcindor became eligible and he led UCLA to three championships-in 1967,68 and 69-while winning the first Naismith College Player of the Year Award. During his college career, the NCAA enacted a ban on dunking primarily because of Alcindors dominant use of the shot

6.
Bob Knight
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Robert Montgomery Bob Knight is a retired American basketball coach. Knight is best known as the coach of the Indiana Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000. He also coached at Texas Tech and at Army, while at Indiana, Knight led his teams to three NCAA championships, one National Invitation Tournament championship, and 11 Big Ten Conference championships. He received National Coach of the Year honors four times and Big Ten Coach of the Year honors eight times. In 1984, he coached the USA mens Olympic team to a gold medal, Knight was one of college basketballs most successful and innovative coaches, having perfected and popularized the motion offense. He has also praised for running clean programs and graduating most of his players. Knight remains the object of near fanatical devotion from his former players, in 2008, Knight joined ESPN as a mens college basketball studio analyst during Championship Week and for coverage of the NCAA Tournament. He continued covering college basketball for ESPN through the 2014-15 season, Knight was born in Massillon, Ohio, and grew up in Orrville, Ohio. Knight began his career as a player at Orrville High School and he continued under Basketball Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor at Ohio State in 1958. The Buckeyes lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats in each of the next two NCAA Championship games, of which Knight was also a part. Due in part to the power of those Ohio State teams, playing time was usually scarce for Knight. In the 1961 NCAA Championship game, Knight came off the bench with 1,41 on the clock and Cincinnati leading Ohio State, 61-59. In the words of then-Ohio State assistant coach Frank Truitt, Knight got the ball in the front court. Then crossed over like he worked on it all his life and drove right in and laid it up. That tied the game for us, and Knight ran clear across the floor like a 100-yard dash sprinter and ran right at me and said, See there, coach, to which Truitt replied, Sit down, you hot dog. Youre lucky youre even on the floor, Knight graduated with a degree in history and government in 1962. After graduation in 1962, Knight coached junior varsity basketball at Cuyahoga Falls High School in Ohio for one year, in six seasons at West Point, Knight won 102 games, with his first as a head coach coming against Worcester Polytechnic Institute. One of his players was Mike Krzyzewski, who served as his assistant before becoming a Hall of Fame head coach at Duke

7.
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball
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The Indiana Hoosiers mens basketball team is the intercollegiate mens basketball program representing Indiana University. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in NCAA Division I, the Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. Indiana has won five NCAA Championships in mens basketball — the first two under coach Branch McCracken and the three under Bob Knight. The Hoosiers five NCAA Championships are tied for fourth in history with Duke, trailing only UCLA, Kentucky, Indianas 1976 squad remains the last undefeated NCAA mens basketball champion. The Hoosiers are seventh in NCAA Tournament appearances, seventh in NCAA Tournament victories, ninth in Final Four appearances, the Hoosiers have won 22 Big Ten Conference Championships and have the best winning percentage in conference games at nearly 60 percent. No team has had more All-Big Ten selections than the Hoosiers with 53, the Hoosiers also rank seventh in all-time AP poll appearances and sixth in the number of weeks spent ranked No.1. Every four-year mens basketball letterman since 1973 has earned a trip to the NCAA basketball tournament, additionally, every four-year player since 1950 has played on a nationally ranked squad at Indiana. The Hoosiers are among the most storied programs in the history of college basketball, a 2012 study listed Indiana as the third most valuable collegiate basketball program in the country. Indiana has ranked in the top 15 nationally in basketball attendance every season since Assembly Hall opened in 1972. Indiana has three main rivalries including in-state, against the Purdue Boilermakers, and out-of-state, against the Kentucky Wildcats, Indiana players wear warm-up pants that are striped red and white, like the stripes of a candy cane. They were first worn by the team in the 1970s under head coach Bob Knight, at the time they were in keeping with the fashion trends of the 1970s, but despite changing styles they have since become an iconic part of playing for Indiana. IU star guard Steve Alford said, As you watch television and you watch the IU games, so when you finally got to put those on, those are pretty special. Rusty Stillions, Director of Indianas Equipment Operations, said the pants were originally only for team members. However, changes in licensing agreements permitted the public to buy them as well. They have since become a staple at games and other Indiana basketball events, beginning in 2014, during Hoosier Hysteria, former IU basketball players have presented to the new players their first pair of candy striped pants. This practice symbolizes a passing-of-the-torch and carrying on the rich tradition, the team is widely noted for their simple game jerseys. Unlike most schools, Indiana doesnt have players names on the back of jerseys that players wear on the court, the notion behind the nameless jerseys is that players play for the team name on the front, not the individuals name on the back. In keeping with Indianas longstanding principle of putting team over player, adidas is the current outfitter of Indiana athletics

8.
California
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California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western coast of the U. S, California is bordered by the other U. S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Los Angeles is Californias most populous city, and the second largest after New York City. The Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nations second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, California also has the nations most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The Central Valley, an agricultural area, dominates the states center. What is now California was first settled by various Native American tribes before being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish Empire then claimed it as part of Alta California in their New Spain colony. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821 following its war for independence. The western portion of Alta California then was organized as the State of California, the California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an accompanying economic boom. If it were a country, California would be the 6th largest economy in the world, fifty-eight percent of the states economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5 percent of the states economy, the story of Calafia is recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadis de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts. This conventional wisdom that California was an island, with maps drawn to reflect this belief, shortened forms of the states name include CA, Cal. Calif. and US-CA. Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. California groups also were diverse in their organization with bands, tribes, villages. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups, the first European effort to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was a Spanish sailing expedition, led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed a portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila galleons on their trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565

9.
Philadelphia 76ers
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The Philadelphia 76ers are an American professional basketball team based in Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association as a club of the leagues Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA and they have won three NBA championships, with their first coming as the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. The second title came in the 1966–67 season, a team which was led by Chamberlain, the third title came in the 1982–83 season, won by a team led by Erving and Malone. The 76ers have only been back to the NBA Finals once since then, in 2001, while in the NBL with teams largely consisting of small Midwestern towns, the Nationals put together a 21–23 record, finishing in 4th place. In the playoffs, the Nats would be beaten by the fellow upstate neighbor Rochester Royals in 4 games, in their second season, 1947–48, the Nationals would struggle, finishing in 5th place with a 24–36 record. Despite their struggles, the Nats would make the playoffs, getting swept by the Anderson Duffey Packers in 3 straight games, several teams began to leave the NBL for the BAA as the foundation for an absorption was laid. The Nationals recipe for success began by recruiting Leo Ferris, in the playoffs the Nationals would make quick work of the Hammond Calumet Buccaneers, winning the series in 2 straight games. However, in the semifinals the Nats would fall to the Anderson Duffey Packers for the second season in 4 games. In 1949, the Nationals were one of seven NBL teams that were absorbed by the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA, the Nationals were an instant success in the NBA, winning the Eastern Division in the 1949–1950 season, with a league best record of 51–13. In the playoffs the Nationals continued to play basketball, beating the Philadelphia Warriors in 2 straight. Moving on to the Eastern Finals, the Nationals battled the New York Knickerbockers, in the NBA Finals, the Nationals faced fellow NBL alums the Minneapolis Lakers. In Game 1 of the Finals the Nats lost just their home game of the season 68–66. The Nats did not recover, as they fell behind 3 games to 1 before falling in 6 games, despite several teams leaving the NBA for the National Professional Basketball League before the 1950–1951 season, the Nationals decided to stay put. In their second NBA season the Nationals played mediocre basketball all season, however, in the playoffs the Nats played their best basketball of the season as they stunned the 1st place Philadelphia Warriors in 2 straight, taking Game 1 on the road in overtime 91–89. In the Eastern Finals the Nationals were beaten by the New York Knickerbockers in a hard-fought 5-game series, in the playoffs the Nats knocked off the Philadelphia Warriors again in a 3-game series. However, in the Eastern Finals the Nats fell to the New York Knickerbockers again, the Nationals would finish in 2nd place in a hard fought 3-way battle for first place in the Eastern Division for the 1952–1953 season, with a record of 47–24. In the playoffs the Nationals would face the Boston Celtics dropping Game 1 at home 87–81, the Nationals acquired Alex Groza, and Ralph Beard as the Indianapolis Olympians folded leaving the NBA with just 9 teams for the 1953–1954 season

10.
Cow Palace
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Cow Palace is an indoor arena located in Daly City, California, situated on the citys border with neighboring San Francisco. Completed in 1941, it hosted the San Francisco Warriors of the NBA from 1962 to 1964, the Warriors temporarily returned to the Cow Palace to host the 1975 NBA Finals due to the fact that the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena was booked for an Ice Follies performance. It was the site of both the 1956 Republican National Convention and the 1964 Republican National Convention, during the 1960s and 1970s, the SF Examiner Games, a world-class indoor track and field meet, was held annually at the Cow Palace. From 1966 until 1999, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus visited the Cow Palace, joined in later years by what is now Disney on Ice, the arena seats 11,089 for ice hockey and 12,953 for basketball. When the Warriors played there its basketball capacity was just over 15,000 and it has also been the home of the annual Grand National Rodeo, Horse & Stock Show since 1941. The venue hosted the 1960 mens NCAA basketball Final Four and the 1967 NBA All-Star Game, sesame Street Live has been held at the Cow Palace since the early 1980s, as has Champions on Ice. In recent years the Cow Palace has been the Bay Area stop for the Cirque du Soleil, the idea for the arena was inspired by the popularity of the livestock pavilion at the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition. A local newspaper asked, as early as May 1935, Why, a headline writer turned the phrase around, thus Cow Palace. Dont Spurn “Cow Palace Almost ever since the Panama Pacific International Exposition twenty years ago San Francisco has been talking about holding an annual livestock show and it has made a few attempts in temporary quarters. For the past few years agitation has been active until now there is a possibility of establishing a million-dollar stock show plant in Visitacion Valley. Instead of doing what they can toward accomplishing this worthy enterprise there seems to be an effort on the part of many misguided souls to decry what they call a “cow palace. San Francisco has expended plenty in San Mateo county, the most recent investment of prominence being the new county jail and that is a better proposition than many other cities have even been offered when they came to lay out an agricultural exposition grounds. They bring country dollars to town as well as pry loose some of the money that comes out for a different type of amusement. The great good that is done for the industry, which in turn is for the ultimate benefit of the consumer. Instead of spoofing the “million dollar cow palace” the city papers and organizations should get behind it 100 per cent. Sausalito News, during World War II, though, the arena was used for processing soldiers bound for the Pacific Theater. The arena is used for the Grand National Rodeo today. The San Francisco Warriors of the National Basketball Association called the Cow Palace home from 1962 to 1964, the franchise then moved across the bay to the new Oakland Coliseum Arena and changed their name to Golden State Warriors. The Warriors lost to the Boston Celtics in the 1964 NBA Finals, the 1967 NBA Finals between San Francisco and the Philadelphia 76ers saw three games held at the Cow Palace

11.
Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball
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The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball has the most Big Ten Championships with 23, the Boilermakers have reached two NCAA Tournament Final Fours. The 1931–32 team was named the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation. Purdue has sent more than 30 players to the NBA, including two overall No.1 picks in the NBA draft, Purdue shares a traditional rivalry with in-state foe Indiana University, and holds a 117–89 all-time series lead. The history of Purdue basketball dates back to 1896 with their first game against the Lafayette YMCA, in the 1902–03 season, head coach C. I. Freeman, in his season, led them to an undefeated 8–0 record. Upon conclusion of the season, the university recognized the popularity of the sport, the Boilermakers began play in the Big Ten Conference three years later, with its first championship coming in 1911 under the direction of Ralph Jones. In 1917, Ward Piggy Lambert, a basketball player at Wabash College, was named head coach of the Boilermakers. What followed was one of the most dominant eras of Purdue Basketball on the conference, under Lambert, Purdue became a front-runner in the development of the fast-paced game as it is today. Lambert compiled a record of 371–152, a.709 winning percentage. His 228 wins in Big Ten play have been bested by only Indianas Bob Knight, Lambert won an unprecedented 11 Big Ten Championships, which Bobby Knight later tied for most in conference history. In 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively recognized Purdue as its champion for 1932. The Premo-Porretta Power Poll later recognized the Boilermakers as the 1932 national champion as well, Ward Lambert announced his resignation on January 23,1946. That same year and the following under new head coach Mel Taube. Center Paul Hoffman became the only Boiler to be named a First Team-All Big Ten selection four times in 1947, after Mel Taubes four and a half seasons, Ray Eddy, a former player and teammate of John Wooden under Lambert, took over as head coach. In 1955, his team played one of the longest games in basketball history. Schaus led the Boilermakers to the 1974 NIT Championship, becoming the first Big Ten team to capture the NIT title, in the 1978–79 season, new head coach Lee Rose introduced Purdue basketball to a new approach with a slowed-down, controlled style of play. With All-American center Joe Barry Carroll, he led them to the 1979 NIT Finals, in 1980, Gene Keady, the head coach of Western Kentucky and former assistant to Eddie Sutton with the Arkansas Razorbacks, was named the new head coach of the Boilermakers

12.
St. John Arena
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St. John Arena is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The arena was named for Lynn St. John, who served as Ohio States mens basketball coach, located on north campus between Woody Hayes Drive and Lane Avenue, the 13, 276-seat arena was built in 1956. The mens and womens basketball teams moved to their current home, Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, the arena now houses the schools mens and womens volleyball teams, mens and womens gymnastics teams, and wrestling squad. It also hosts the annual Buckeye Classic womens basketball tournament, concerts by popular musical artists were held at the arena from 1971 to 1980. In 2004, St. John Arena hosted its first mens game in six years because of a scheduling conflict at the Schottenstein Center. St. John Arena was again used for basketball on March 24,2008. The Buckeyes eventually took the 2008 NIT title, the most popular event still held at the arena is the Skull Session, the pep rally before football games. Two hours prior to kickoff The Ohio State University Marching Band performs Buckeye favorites, with roots back to 1932, the Skull Session sometimes features the visiting teams marching band or local high school bands as well. Many fans arrive hours early to obtain seating for the Ohio State tradition, St. John Arena is used for Freshmen Convocation, at which the entire freshman class meets for the first time and university leaders initiate the freshmen. Plans to demolish St. John were announced in November 2012 to be replaced by the Covelli Arena, however, in 2016, the universitys associate vice president for planning and real estate said that the arena is unlikely to be demolished in the foreseeable future